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Link (Disambiguation)
Link (pronounced /ˈlɪŋk/ lingk) is the name by which every protagonist in The Legend of Zelda series is known. There are many incarnations of Link, each possessing the Spirit of the Hero, with some of them being blood related as well. They are chosen by the Goddesses to protect the land from evil whenever deemed necessary. In the majority of Zelda games, their adventures take place within Hyrule, traveling through the land, collecting important items, and defeating a wide variety of enemies while trying to save both Princess Zelda and her kingdom from the clutches of Ganon, Vaati, or other villains. The first Link was introduced as a young sword-wielding boy, but since The Adventure of Link, the identity, appearance, and role of each incarnation of Link has varied from game to game. Many of the Links are given titles to identify them, such as the Hero of Time in Ocarina of Time and the Hero of Winds in The Wind Waker. 'Common attributes of all Links' 'Background' In almost all the games (with the exception of The Adventure of Link, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword), Link starts his journey as a child or young adolescent Hylian and has not yet been depicted as being older than his late teens at any point of the series. Moreover, he is usually portrayed as having been orphaned at an early age: the only game that mentions Link's mother is Ocarina of Time, who died after she escaped to the Kokiri Forest with Link as a baby from a fierce war in Hyrule, leaving him in the care of the Great Deku Tree.20 In games such as A Link to the Past and The Wind Waker, Link lives with his uncle and grandmother, respectively, but leaves his home in order to fulfill his destiny as the savior of Hyrule or another land. In all games thus far, Link has been descended from the Hylians (though the ambiguous canon Valiant Comics state that the incarnation of Link in the first two games was born in a land west of Hyrule, called Calatia), and due to that, appears as a young man with elf-like pointed ears. In A Link to the Past, Link is said to be the last descendant of the Knights of Hyrule, and as such is destined to rescue Princess Zelda. In many games, he has or earns the Triforce mark on the back of his left hand, either to signify possession of the Triforce of Courage or, in some cases, to simply signify his exemplary courage. Characteristics. Because all the Links bear the Spirit of the Hero,12 they each possess an unbreakable spirit. One feature in Link's personality that is greatly emphasized is his courage. He is often depicted as a humble yet brave and courageous boy who steps up to the task of saving the kingdom of Hyrule (and many others), a task to which he seems destined. As such, he is often associated with the Triforce of Courage and the goddess Farore: in Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Courage activated when Link stepped into the Twilight, and it protected him from becoming a lost soul, instead turning him into a wolf. He rarely shows signs of cowardice and is always willing to use his strength and valor to save and help those around him, as seen in The Wind Waker where he asks Tetra and her pirate crew to allow him to go with them on their ship in order to save his sister Aryll. Link does not speak or have any written dialog, which has led some people believe him to be mute; his voice actions are limited to shouts and grunts. In addition, Link does not show signs of a strong and deep personality, nor does he present much of his personal motivations. However, the idea that Link is mute is disproved by his ability to interact with other characters in conversation; for example, in Twilight Princess, Jaggle once states that Link's voice carries well, and in The Wind Waker, Link can be heard using short phrases such as "Come on!" at certain points throughout the game. The true reason for this blankness and apparent muteness lies in Link's own essence: He seems to be the personification of the immersion experience, and in that way he is an extension of the player, a "link" between the player and the Zelda universe. Miyamoto and Nintendo designers themselves pointed out several times that the focus of the series lies in the player's personal experiences and in the concept of "the player being the hero," with Link as his/her avatar. In that way, he was made blank so the human player can fill him with his/her own characteristics, experiences, motivations, feelings, thoughts and emotions. While he is traditionally known as Link, even his name is chosen by the player. This is in order to allow the player to enter this fantasy world and to have an intimate experience with it, and with those who live in it. So, the intention is for his role in dialog and plot to be filled by the words and thoughts of the player, to some extent. His speech is usually replaced with simple and concise answers that the player can pick. Link also seems to have a particular fondness for sleeping. Most of the games begin with him oversleeping and having to be woken up by some other character. This seems to be done to show that at the beginning of the game he is a regular boy, while by the end he is a true hero. Invariably, every Link wears a green tunic and a long, floppy green cap, at least for part of each adventure, although the shades of green vary. He also wears different clothes during parts of some Zelda games, most often color variations on his basic outfit (except for the Magic Armor and Zora Armor in Twilight Princess). Physically, all Link have light-colored hair ranging from light brown to blonde, large eyes ranging from blue to dark, and a medium build. Furthermore, Link dons special gauntlets or bracelets that help him boost up his strength, such as the Power Bracelet or the Golden Gauntlet. In several games, various female characters often comment on Link's physical attractiveness, calling him "cute" or complimenting his great eyes. Link is also depicted as left-handed in almost all games, except for the Wii version of Twilight Princess and in Skyward Sword, which depicts him as right-handed, the same hand most people use to hold the Wii Remote. There is no option for left-handers, but in the GameCube version of Twilight Princess, Link is a traditional left-hander. Arguably, Link is still left-handed in Twilight Princess and it is only that the camera is somehow reversed; this is supported by the fact that the entire Wii version of Twilight Princess is the complete reverse of the GameCube version. Currently, Link's "canonical" appearance in Twilight Princess is still as a left-handed version. However, Skyward Sword depicts Link as right-handed and is the only option available in-game. A peculiarity which Link shares with many video game characters is the uncanny ability to effortlessly carry around many cumbersome items. The concept is known as Hammerspace and allows Link to carry an enormous array of large and heavy items, without the use of a bag of any kind. For example, where does he store the Biggoron's Sword when not in use? And how can wearing the Iron Boots make him any heavier, if he was already carrying them with him? This is addressed in the non-canon cartoon series, The Legend of Zelda, in which in a couple of scenes Link is seen taking items out of a bag, which then "grow" to normal size when taken out so he can use them, and "shrink" when he puts them back into the bag. 'Abilities' Link is depicted throughout the series as an impressive swordsman. He usually begins his adventure as an average boy with little to no swordsmanship skills. When trouble arises, however, Link demonstrates a natural aptitude for the ways of the sword and is able to best his enemies easily: in The Wind Waker, Link goes to Orca to learn how to wield a sword in order to help Tetra from the Forest of Fairies.30 It is further noted by Orca himself that Link's ability to use a sword is firmly present in his veins.31 As the game progresses, Link becomes known for his swordsmanship as well as his ability to quickly adapt to a wide variety of items and skillfully wield them, such as the Boomerang, the Bow, and the Grappling Hook, among others. In some games, Link can learn advanced sword techniques and complicated move-sets: in The Minish Cap, the Blade Brothers teach the young hero various sword skills by using Tiger Scrolls, and in Twilight Princess, the Hero's Shade shares his knowledge of the sword by teaching Link seven Hidden Skills to help him become more powerful and save Hyrule. Additionally, Link is portrayed as having an excellent physical condition, performing backflips easily as well as being able to best others in sumo-wrestling, as seen in Twilight Princess. However, despite this, Link is usually defenseless without a sword or an item. This is depicted in The Wind Waker, where Link loses his sword after being launched into the Forsaken Fortress and must use his stealth abilities to get it back: if he is spotted by an enemy, he quickly surrenders due to his inability to fight back.32 Although in some games Link is easily able to pick up large stones or push blocks many times his size, other games require him to use special bracelets or gauntlets to further increase his strength, such as the Power Bracelet or the Titan's Mitt. As seen in The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time, Link is capable of using magic spells such as Din's Fire provided that he possesses a Magic Meter, which is usually granted to him by a Great Fairy. Link is also talented in playing a wide variety of instruments. This is first shown in the original The Legend of Zelda, in which the young hero plays the Recorder to open up secret entrances or transport him to various parts in the overworld. Since then, Link has competently played other instruments such as the ocarina, a pan flute, a guitar, the drums, and a harp, all of which play a major role in each of the respective games in which they appear. Not only is Link a proficient instrument player: he is also adept in using a conductor's baton to conduct other players. 'Known Links' *''Hylia's Chosin Hero'' *''The Original Hero of Time'' - Skyward Sword *''The Hero of Men,'Link (Minish Cap)' - Minish Cap *Link (Four Swords)'' - Four Swords *''The Hero of Time'' - Ocarina of Time, Majora's mask, Twilight Princess (As the "Hero's Shade") 'The Hero Dies Timeline' The Hero Dies Timeline is the alternate timeline in which Link, the Hero of Time, despite his best efforts, was defeated by Ganondorf in the final battle. This turn of events created the timeline containing A Link to the Past, the Oracle series, Link's Awakening, A Link Between Worlds, The Legend of Zelda, and The Adventure of Link. *''The New Hero'' - A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons, Link's Awakening *''The Hero of Two Worlds'' - A Link Between Worlds *''The Hero of Hyrule'' - NES Zelda I, NES Zelda II 'Child Timeline' The Child Timeline is the timeline that follows Link after being sent back to his original time after defeating Ganon in the Adult Timeline. He warns Princess Zelda about Ganon's actions in the Adult Timeline, which creates the timeline containing Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, The Hero's Legacy, Four Swords Adventures & _______. *''The Hero Chosen by the Gods'' - Twilight Princess *''The Hero of Twilight'' - The Hero's Legacy *''The Hero of the Four Sword'' - Four Swords Adventure *______________ ''The Heroton Timeline'' The Heroton Timeline takes place after The Hero's Legacy. After The Hero of Twilight vanquishes Yirama (of Riama's Two Daughters), He Returns to Seven years in the past to his own time (Similar to the Adult Timeline), The time he left Behind Holds his Older Brother, _____, as the Prince of the Twilight Realm, unifying it to the realm of Light with his Wife, _____, allowing the two races and dimensions to co-exist (Something Princess Midna only dreamed of). With Ganondorf still dead, Thousands of years pass and the Planet where Hyrule lies is discovered by Astrologists on Earth and is Dubbed "Planet Teria". Many Years Later, A New Link would be born, But would give into his dark intentions, and Create the Monster known as the Legendary Super Terian. Almost 400 years after his Death, A Pure Hearted Link is Born, and the second part of "The Hero's Legacy" Begins. (A new Ganondorf is Born as Well, but is not related to any conflict in Link's Quest.) This Link also bares two offspring, who despite not sharing his name, are counted as Heroes due to their blood and role in history. *''The Fallen Hero'' - The Heroton Group Origins: The Before Years *''The Hero of Teria'' - The Hero's Legacy, The Heroton Group: Budokai, The Heroton Group: Momento Phase **''The Hero of Darkness (Link's Son)'' - The Heroton Group The After Years: Quarantine, The Heroton Group: The After Years **''The Hero of Heart (Link's Daughter)'' - The Heroton Group The After Years: Quarantine 'Adult Timeline' The Adult Timeline is the timeline that follows Link being sent to the Child Timeline after the Hero of Time defeats Ganon in the final battle. Ganondorf is sealed within the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages but, with Link sent back in time, the world is left without a Hero. This turn of events created the timeline containing The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks. *''The Hero of Winds'' - Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass *''The Hero of Spirits'' - Spirit Tracks.